Skate boots, and in particular ice hockey skate boots, have generally become more and more rigid through time in order to provide the necessary support for the players. Skate boots must usually provide at least some ankle support, while nevertheless allowing a certain degree of flexion to accommodate the dorsiflexion and plantar flexion of the ankle joint.
As such, a number of skate boot configurations have been designed in an attempt to provide both sufficient flexibility and support for the ankle. Such attempted configurations have included rigid skate boots having more flexible foam quarter panels, rigid boots with a flexible member surrounding the ankle, boots with a rigid tendon guard and more flexible quarters, etc. However, most of these designs either do not provide the desired flexibility or support, or are relatively complex, thus expensive, to produce.
Accordingly, improvements are desirable.